Hackaday Podcast · 19 Jun 2020 · 56m
Hackaday editors Dan Maloney and Elliot Williams review a week of hardware hacks, including Shane Whiten’s servo-actuated robotic golf club, Paul Elkins’ coroplast speedboat, and Johann’s electronics-free flip-dot water level indicator. They also discuss Norbert Heinz’s inkjet printer hack, Linus Tech Tips’ overclocked TI-84 calculator, and a profile of Super Soaker inventor Lonnie Johnson. The episode concludes with a debate on the relevance of the 80-character code line limit in modern development.
makers and hobbyists
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Hosts Chris White and Elecia White discuss recent projects and gift ideas, including Elecia's work on the Fitbit Surge and Chris's 'Wordy' wearable ring. They also cover Chris's custom hardware controller for the game Kerbal Space Program, the Chiptronics educational kit, and the broader maker movement, addressing misconceptions about its impact on professional engineering.
The host reviews several maker projects and products, including a hack of e-ink price tags from Maker's Fun Duck and a low-cost flex sensor alternative using an LDR created by a student at Gord Payne's High School. He announces the November Electromaker of the Month winners, highlighting Liminus Reductor's modular robot dog, a plant-identifying wrist device by 'donuts or else', and a hexabit-based distance meter. The episode also covers new hardware releases such as the Inkplate 2 e-paper kit, a Raspberry Pi prototyping breakout kit on Kickstarter, Elephant Robotics' Arduino-based Ultra Arm P340, and the Raspberry Pi Camera Module v3.
Chris Savage, an engineering tech at Parallax and creator of the Savage Circuits community site, discusses the evolution of his website from a personal project showcase to a community hub, and back again due to life events. He details the technical capabilities of Parallax's Propeller microcontroller in industrial control and robotics, highlighting the BOE-BOT and ELEV-8 Quadcopter Kit as educational tools. Savage also shares his ethical approach to product reviews, explaining how he handles sponsorships from companies like Tektronix and Fluke while maintaining unbiased content.
Simone Giertz, an inventor and YouTuber known for building 'shitty robots,' discusses her process of creating humorous, often dangerous devices like a vegetable chopping machine and a wake-up alarm that hits her with a rubber arm. She explains that her non-engineering background allows her to learn through enthusiastic, idea-driven prototyping using Arduino, embracing failure as a key part of the process. Giertz also touches on her experience working at Punch Through, the challenges of filming and editing solo content, and how she uses comedy to make electronics accessible to a broader audience.
Hosts Dave Jones and Chris Gamble discuss the open-source RC controller from Gizmo For You, highlighting its complex injection-molded cases and 8-layer PCB. They review Ken Lumbard's 'Reading Jim Williams' project, which curates and analyzes the application notes of legendary analog engineer Jim Williams. The hosts also cover rumors of a DARPA humanoid robot grand challenge and share experiences using CircuitLab for SPICE simulation.
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